


Of Balance and Ruin

by FiliaSnowe



Category: Final Fantasy VI, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blue Mage!Mario, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Human!Mega Man, Might get a little dark who knows, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pictomancer!Leaf, There's a lot of characters but I'm not listing all of them, buckle up kids there's gonna be some deaths, family stuff, haha feels train go choo choo, half-Esper!Corrin, having a bit of a hard time finding which characters fit for this, it's wicked out here bucko, might get a little graphic but nothing M rated, set in the world of FF6
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29871765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiliaSnowe/pseuds/FiliaSnowe
Summary: (FF6 AU) Raised as a bioweapon her entire life by the Empire, Corrin gets sent to raid the mining town of Narshe until something unexpected happens. Now free, she must turn her blade on the very same Empire who are trying to control the world with magic.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to write rpgs is a huge cripple point for me since you have to turn a 4-5 minute walk from point A to point B into a couple days to weeks possibly and its a headache doing all that. Old games like this are long as hell so that's also another problem from me.

_"Long ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and magic simply ceased to exist. 1000 years have passed. Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns. But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dreaded, destructive force known as "magic." Can it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake?"_

* * *

"There's the town..." Roy sighed tiredly.

He really didn't want to go on this mission, especially since it was happening so early in the morning and the sun hadn't even risen yet. Roy had just wanted to sleep that night, but Emperor Ganondorf sent both him and Wolf to find this supposed "Esper" that's somewhere deep in the Narshe mines. Now here they were sitting on a cliff riding Magitek Armor overlooking the town itself.

"Hard to believe that an Esper's been found intact here 1000 years after the War of the Magi," Wolf said, his voice sounding much deeper and harsher than Roy's more laid-back, young voice. Judging by his enthusiasm, Wolf was definitely more excited than Roy on this mission and had always wanted to see an Esper up close and personal and this was his chance to do so.

"Think it's still alive?" The redhead asked, stretching his arms.

"Probably," his superior replied, "Judging from the urgency of our orders."

Roy turned to the woman named Corrin behind them, she was also riding Magitek Armor. Her silver hair was kept neatly with an intricate black headband that blew in the icy wind. She wore silver and black armor with a blue cape while staring at them mindlessly.

"This woman... This sorceress, why is she here? I heard she fried at least fifty of our Magitek Armored soldiers in under three minutes."

Wolf chuckled as if to assure his fellow soldier that she wouldn't be a threat to them, "Not to worry, the slave crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She'll follow orders." He then walked away from the drop in the cliff, crushing a log as he did so.

"We'll approach the town from the east. Move out!"

After a long trek that seemed like hours through a snowy field, they finally made it to Narshe.

"Let's put her on point, no point taking any risks. Forward!" The one-eyed man barked before he and the others moved through the small, mining town with the silverette in the lead. The three then tore through the city, taking down anyone who got in their way then stopping at the mines behind Narshe.

Wolf turned his head to the entrance, "According to our source, the frozen Esper was found in a new mine shaft. Maybe this one?"

The soldiers went into the mine shaft which was a dark, damp cave illuminated by lamps. The mine cart track sat at the center of the path, leading to the back part of the shaft. They walked all the way down to the end of it, occasionally stepping on a Were-rat and scaring themselves. Eventually their progress was halted at an area blocked off by a wooden gate.

Roy said in a casual tone as he rolled his arm, "I'll handle this. Stand back."

He stepped back a little then rammed into the gate, knocking it down. Just as he, Wolf and the silver haired girl were about to proceed a guard stopped them.

"We won't hand over the Esper!" the guard shouted at them, "Whelk, get them!"

What came out at them was truly horrifying to look at. It was a giant snail with beady blue eyes, a full body and a spiky lavender-colored shell. The whelk roared at the Imperials as if challenging them to a fight.

"Hold it!" Roy said, interested now that there was some action, "Think back to our briefing..."

"What about it?" Wolf asked.

"Do you remember hearing about a monster that eats lightning..."

"And stores the energy in its shell!" he finished, now remembering that they were now facing the whelk, which Emperor Ganondorf had told them to be extremely wary of.

Roy warned, "Right. So whatever you do, don't attack the shell!"

"Alright already!" Wolf replied, wanting to hurry this up so he could see the Esper.

The whelk then lunged at them, trying to bite at the redhead but received a missile to the face courtesy of Corrin. It roared in anger, furious that it was hit. Just as Wolf shot a Fire Beam at it, the snail growled and retreated into its shell. Wolf's Fire Beam hit the shell, and he just stared at the whelk, scared of what was to come next.

A giant bolt of lightning came at him and hit his Magitek Armor, zapping him.

"Dammit!" Wolf yelled. Luckily for him, Roy used a Heal Force to save his comrade from imminent doom.

"Be more careful next time!" The redhead yelled as Corrin shot another missile at the whelk, causing it to flinch. The two men saw their chance and both shot Fire Beams at it simultaneously while the beast was staggered. It gave out a mighty roar as it lifelessly slumped to the ground dead.

"Alright," Wolf said, "let's see this Esper."

They walked a short distance away and found the Esper encased in a solid block of ice sitting on a rock right in front of them. A blue light illuminated the room, bathing everything in its azure glow.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Wolf asked the Esper, "Do you know something we don't?"

The Esper shined and Corrin walked up to it without being ordered to. It began emitting an eerie light.

"Where's that light coming from?!"

Wolf didn't have much more time to think as he quickly disappeared. Roy looked over to the spot that his partner had just been standing in moments ago. A sense of fear washed over him.

"H-hey!" He stuttered, "Wolf... where are you? W-what's happening?"

Roy's fear disappeared along with him as he too was missing from the room as well, leaving just the silver haired girl and the Esper as the only ones left. Both of them glowed blue from the light emitting between them. An explosion happened and darkness soon encroached Corrin's mind, knocking her out.

* * *

When she came to Corrin awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room of sorts, sitting up to rub at her red eyes before standing up. It wasn't long before someone entered the room to greet her, a man with short blonde hair aptly named Shulk who apparently found her and brought her to safety.

"Where am I...?" She asked the other person who just walked in the room.

"Whoa! And I only just removed the crown!" Shulk exclaimed.

Corrin clutched her head in pain as if she felt a headache flare up and muttered that her head hurts. Shulk went to the other end of the room to pick the broken headpiece that Corrin was wearing before showing the silverette.

"Easy! This is a slave crown. The others had complete control over you while you were wearing it."

She shook her head then looked at the ground dejectedly, "I can't remember a thing..."

"Don't worry," he tried to assure her, "It'll all come back to you... in time, that is."

Corrin frowned before her face changed as if a lost thought had come back to her. She managed to recover a piece of her memory which happened to be her name, then looked at the blonde before speaking.

"My name... is... Corrin..."

"Impressive! I've never heard of anyone recovering this fast!"

Too bad this cheerful moment didn't last long before a bark followed by a series of loud knocks sounded at the front door, alerting both occupants inside the house. Shulk moved quickly but quietly through his home to hear a second pattern of knocks at the door, this time much louder than the last. It was the city guard, demanding that he open up to give both Corrin and the Magitek Armor over to the local authorities since she was an Imperial soldier who raided the town earlier. Startled by the loud knocking, a curious Corrin unconsciously followed him out to the living room, wondering what was going on outside.

"Empire...? Magitek Armor...?"

Shulk narrowed his blue eyes at the door before facing the silverette, "Look, I have to get you out of here! I don't have time to explain!" He then led her back to his room towards the back door and handed her an elixir that she safely tucked away in a pouch. "Make your way out through the mines! I'll keep these brutes occupied!"

With no other choice, she nodded and left out of the back door behind the house. The amnesic girl didn't get very far on the bridge before the guards spotted her, gasping in shock then dashing across the bridge and into a nearby cave. Once inside, Corrin had to fight off a few enemies with her sword and magic that she also used to heal any damage she sustained. Just as she made it through a narrow corridor, the guards had soon caught up to Corrin and cornered her, cutting off any possible route of escape.

Panicked, ruby red eyes wide as dinner plates, the silverette fearfully stepped back as they closed in on her. Unfortunately for them a piece of the floor gave way under Corrin's feet, causing her to fall to a lower level in the cave and hurt herself. Miraculously she survived but the pain was too much and she passed out after crawling a few feet from where she fell. As her consciousness began to slowly slip away, another memory appeared to Corrin and she found herself in a room filled with machinery.

Inside the room with her was a woman named Grima with white hair and eyes a much deeper shade of red than Corrin's holding something in her hands.

"My sweet little magic user!" Grima grinned, laughing like a madwoman. "With this Slave Crown I'll practically OWN you!"

Corrin's eyes widened in fear when she saw the other woman trying to put the crown on her, struggling vainly in her restraints and screamed at Grima to get away from her. All it did was encourage her more to put the crown on the silverette's head. Once she did so the light faded from Corrin's eyes as she now became a mindless puppet easily bending to Grima's will.

The scenery changed to a fiery one as Corrin was now riding Magitek Armor while being ordered by that woman to burn everything in sight, including the soldiers with Fire Beams. Horrible screams of pain, burning flesh and smoke filled the air as fifty Imperials with or without Magitek Armor were killed in less than a few minutes, thus making it a gruesome sight to behold. Anyone else who happened to get in the way became collateral damage and added to the body count. Although it was inside her mind it felt genuinely real, and to make matters worse that white haired female was laughing as she reveled in the chaos and destruction of an entire town being burned to ashes.

Grima laughed maniacally, "Good! Burn up everything!"

It made Corrin wonder if she actually did kill all those people and razed that city with all of its inhabitants to the ground.

The background soon changed again to what appeared to be the Empire's residence. That horrible woman was there along with three other people, one of whom was Emperor Ganondorf. He was giving a speech to a crowd of soldiers standing by who listened intently to him as he spoke in a loud commanding voice.

"We stand on the brink of a major breakthrough! In the days to come, we'll witness a total revival of magic! It is our destiny, and ours alone, to take this mystic force and claim what is rightfully ours! With our new-found power, nothing can stand in our way!"

"Hurrah! Long live Emperor Ganondorf!" The soldiers cheered.

The silverette didn't salute because she wasn't ordered to only stepped forward instead. Unable to understand anything, Corrin felt too weak do anything about it either as she was pulled back to the land of unconsciousness once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Akira and Richter aren't brothers and there's an age gap between them but bear with me please, it wasn't easy deciding which characters to play Edgar and Sabin so I went with them instead.

Shulk paced around his living room in a worried and frustrated manner. He tried to tell the guards that Corrin wasn't responsible for her actions in the town earlier due to the Empire using her, but they stubbornly refused to hear him out and shouted at him in response. The blonde prayed that she made it out alive safely, otherwise she would've been caught and locked up in a cell or killed. Shulk turned around to see another person had entered his home who wasn't a guard.

"Took you long enough, Eight! How goes the robbing and plundering trade?"

Eight was a guy of average height with short, dark brown hair under a reddish-orange bandana and brown eyes. He wore an orange jacket over a blue shirt with long sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark gray pants and black boots.

Eight looked at him in mock offense of being called a thief, "I PREFER the term treasure hunting!"

"Ha! Semantic nonsense!" Shulk put his hands on his hips, a playful smirk adorning his features.

"There's a HUGE difference!" Not wanting to push the argument any further the brunette decided to change the subject with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Anyway, were you the one who sent for me?"

The blonde nodded, "Yeah. There's a girl I'd like you to meet."

Eight's eyes blinked owlishly then instantly narrowed a split second later, "This better not have anything to do with that Magitek-riding, Imperial witch!"

"Imperial troops are pursuing her even as we speak," Shulk explained. "This town is no match for the Empire. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners, an underground resistance movement. That girl wasn't responsible for her actions. We must get her to understand our dilemma!"

Seeing as there was no way to refuse Eight sighed and reluctantly agreed, "All right, I think we'd better help her."

"Agreed. Make your way first to Figaro, and talk to the king. Remember she's dressed in silver and black with a blue cape and she has silver hair."

And with that, Eight left Shulk's house then headed for the mines. He didn't expect to get this assignment, especially due to the failed Imperial siege just earlier today which caused Narshe to be even more neutral and isolated. Shulk might have been somewhat crazy, but Eight trusted him well enough. Eight held a deep grudge for the Empire ever since they took something precious from him, which he hated to no end.

As he explored the mine a big hole in the floor had caught his eye, one big for someone to fall through it. Looking down he saw a girl with silvery-white hair in silver and black armor with a blue cape lying unconscious on the ground, just the person he was looking for. Using a rope the brunette climbed down through the hole to the lower part of the cave and noticed how pale she was. Had he made it here any later, Corrin would have froze to death or been executed by the guards without waking up. Before she could wake up though she heard voices and barks, indicating that the guards had brought their wolves with them.

"Now we gotcha! Kill the witch! She deserves death!"

"Wonderful... There's a whole bunch of 'em," Eight shrugged then drew his sword.

He was prepared to fight but he saw not one, not two, not even three but eleven Yoshis at his side. A couple of them checked on the silverette before getting into a fighting stance.

"Yoshis! Are you saying you want to help me?"

They regarded him for a moment before nodding, "Yoshi!"

Besides the green one the others came in a plethora of colors such as blue, cyan, pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, black, white and gold. They all attacked the guards with all sorts of weapons to protect Corrin like swords and spears, others used claws and even a paintbrush or slingshot to attack. A few wolves ran towards Eight in an attempt to bite at him but he evaded them and countered by slashing their throats with just a quick stab of his sword. As he looked over at the Yoshis fighting with the guards, he noticed the green Yoshi doing a strange dance inside the dark cave.

"Dusk Requiem!"

The adventurer turned his head to see in shock a bunch of will-o'-wisps appear and defeat any leftover wolves, then confronted the guards with the green Yoshi who was making rocks fall on them as well. Eight may have the disadvantage in the range department when it came to his blade but he made up for it with his quick reflexes, thus making him fast and harder to hit. Pink hit a guard with her mace then Blue finished it off with his spear, while Cyan smacked one in the face with her staff, knocking him out. They all pointed their weapons just as Green stopped dancing and the remaining guards knew they were outnumbered. They all screamed and fled the mines in terror.

The Yoshis cheered before they retreated back into their cave, leaving only Eight and Corrin there alone.

"Thanks, Yoshis! We're in your debt!" Eight said gratefully before he picked up Corrin in his arms.

The brunette noticed that she was surprising light then made his way through the mines until he found a switch to open the exit, just as he did though Corrin woke up.

"Eh? You back with us now?" He asked as the silverette sat up.

"You... saved me?" She replied with a question of her own.

"Save your thanks for the Yoshis."

Corrin felt as if her mind was trapped in a fog and she was unable to recall anything. "Uhh, I can't remember anything past or present."

"You have amnesia?!"

"A man named Shulk said my memory would come back."

"Give it time," Eight gave her a friendly smile which made her blink confusedly at him. "You're safe with me, I give you my word! I won't leave you until your memory returns. By the way, this secret entrance might be useful some day, don't forget about it!"

The duo eventually left Narshe then headed south through a forest, toward a wide open plain and set up camp for the night. They were exhausted from the day's events and thought that a good night's rest was enough before continuing the trek the next day. Corrin wondered if they were going to be safe while in Figaro to which Eight answered positively although he warned her that the king might be interested in her. He also told the silverette that in order to get there they'd have to cross the desert by chocobo and decided to rent a couple in the morning.

While traveling both Corrin and Eight encountered Dark winds, Leaf Bunnies, as well as Sand Rays and Areneids in the desert. They didn't pose too much of a threat but the Areneids had quite the paralyzing sting should either the brunette or silverette get careless while dealing with the creatures. Eight had half a mind to take off his shirt and jacket due to the desert heat getting to him although his partner wasn't faring any better herself. Corrin's long hair and cape were becoming slick with sweat and began sticking to her, while her armor absorbed the desert heat which wasn't helping all that much either. 

Both of them were getting tired of being in the desert and prayed that they could find some shelter soon to shade themselves from the harsh heat. Along with Figaro Castle's size were numerous towers with fans rotating around the turrets, thus giving it a very technologically advanced look. Just as Corrin and Eight dismounted from their chocobos and approached the steps of Figaro Castle, a guard stopped them before recognizing Eight then let them pass.

The duo walked inside and followed the red carpet all the way up to the throne room where they met the king who casually sat on his throne. He was a tall and handsome man with short black hair, steel gray eyes, dressed in a black and gray outfit with red gloves. Eight walked up and whispered something to him, showing surprise at what he heard.

"You mean, THIS young woman?!" He asked as he stood up to look at the silverette. He thought Corrin was beautiful for a moment then turned around to think as he realized how serious the situation was.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude but who are you?" Corrin asked him.

"Oh, sorry! How rude of me to turn my back to a lady! I am Akira Kurusu, King of Figaro," Akira said as he bowed to her.

"Surprised someone like me knows a king?" The brunette asked as he began conversing with Akira about their trip here.

Afterwards he bid Corrin goodbye before leaving both her and Akira alone in the throne room. She gave Akira a strange look as the ravenette kissed her hand.

"So, you're an Imperial soldier!'" He told her, "No problem. Figaro and the Empire are allies! Please, relax while you're here. It's not in my blood to harm a lady."

"Why are you helping me? Is it because of my... abilities?"

Akira held up three fingers before replying, "I'll give you 3 reasons: First of all, your beauty has captivated me! Second, I'm dying to know if I'm your type. I guess your... abilities... would be a distant 3rd."

When he realized that the silverette was giving him a confuzzled look Akira sighed then left, "Guess my technique's getting a bit rusty... Come find me when you feel rested."

"Hmm, I suppose a normal girl would have found him dashing. But I'm hardly normal..." She murmured before leaving the throne room to explore the castle.

Some of the castle's soldiers told her how the Empire had conquered the entire southern continent and razed three towns down there and it was just a matter of time before they came up here and about magic as well. From room to room she also heard that Akira was quite the skirt chaser, even so much as flirting with old or plain women and that he had even hit on the high priestess of Figaro, thus getting himself into trouble. A soldier said that in the castle there was a very special engine room, which hid a secret.

At one point Corrin reached a room in the westernmost tower and saw a portrait on the wall showing two boys of which she was certain that one of them was Akira, but she didn't know who the brown haired one was. She only knew that they were very similar in appearance before running into an old lady who was the high priestess.

"I suppose you are intrigued by that portrait," the old lady said. "Akira has an older brother. He was such a nice boy..."

* * *

A much younger version of Akira was in the castle library and was joined by another young man. He had blue eyes instead of gray and messy brown hair, was slightly muscular than him but he seemed worried about something. 

"Brother, what's wrong with father? What's all this talk of his successor?"

"Are you blind? Look how thin his face has become!" Edgar replied.

The young man looked at him confused, but worried. "What do you mean?" 

All of a sudden Akira ran down the stairs with his head down and the boy looked even more worried than before, noticing that his eyes were full of tears. 

"Are you... crying?" He murmured. He was Akira's brother, who gave up the throne in exchange for freedom.

* * *

"Yes... His name is Richter. Oh, he looked so much like his father! When he ran away, he was a sweet child. I wonder what he's like now?"

Corrin eventually left the room and met the chancellor who told her that the whole business of the succession was so repugnant to Richter, the King's brother, that he fled the castle forever. The succession was settled with a coin toss and Akira was crowned king of Figaro. She then wandered around some more until she found herself back in the throne room where Akira was sitting on his throne once more.

"Well?" He asked, "How do you like my castle?"

Before the silverette could answer his question a soldier burst into the room.

"King Akira! Someone from the Empire to see you!"

Akira's face quickly contorted into annoyance from the message, "Probably Grima!"

Akira soon got up from his throne and told Corrin to stay there while he took care of it. She nodded as he walked out of the room with Eight following right behind him. Meanwhile, out in the desert, Grima and two Imperial soldiers approached the castle. 

"Phooey! Emperor Ganondorf's stupid orders!" Grima huffed as she trudged through the desert, annoyed that she had to do this and not someone else. "Akira, you pinhead! Why do you have to live in the middle of nowhere? These recon jobs are the pits!"

The twintailed mage then turned to the soldiers. "Ahem... there's SAND on my boots!"

The two soldiers immediately rushed over to clean her boots until they got every bit of sand off of them. She let out a horrible and disturbing laugh before insulting the soldiers, which annoyed them but they couldn't do anything about it and marched on with their superior. 

It was no secret in the Empire that everyone except Ganondorf hated Grima. Years earlier, she had been the first to undergo Robin's experiments on the Magitek Knights and this gave her great power, but she completely lost her sanity in the process. Grima later became a court mage although she had the role of a general. The snow haired woman loved destruction as she caused the suffering and numerous deaths to others and made macabre jokes about the atrocities she committed with sadism on the verge of the extreme, emitting hysterical and demonic laughter. She even went so far as going into a rage at the slightest provocation or contradiction. 

They eventually made to the castle until a guard stopped them.

"Lady Grima! What on earth do-"

"Outta my way!" She rudely pushed past him then continued inside the castle while waiting for Akira to come to the courtyard.

Akira made his way to them and demanded what the three Imperials were doing here. "You've been busy down south! Looking for more cities to destroy? I thought we were allies! What are you doing in my domain?"

"That's for us to know! And allies? The Empire and this back-water, two-bit kingdom?! Quit dreaming!"

He shrugged off the soldiers' insults before turning to Grima. "What brings Grima, humble servant of Emperor Ganondorf, into our lowly presence?"

"A girl of no importance recently escaped from us. We heard she found refuge here," she replied.

"Hmm... this wouldn't have anything to do with this "witch" everyone's been whispering about, would it?"

"Lies! She... merely stole something of minor value. Is she here?"

Akira got the feeling that Grima was lying, and he wanted to tell her that those lies made as much sense as that gaudy black and purple robe she was wearing but he knew it would be a bad thing to say, then internally decided that he would only say it in a joke with the others.

"That's a tough one!" He replied, much to Imperials' shock. "You see, there're more girls here than grains of sand out there. I can't keep track of 'em all!"

Grima chuckled darkly before leaving, "I'd hate to be you if we find out you're lying. I truly hope nothing happens to your precious Figaro!"

It sounded like a real threat that she was making. He sighed before walking back to where Eight was.

"I'd say that woman's missing a few buttons," Eight said as he referred to Grima.

Just as the ravenette asked where Corrin was she walked out the door with a frightened and nervous expression on her face. Her knuckles had turned white from squeezing them so hard in her scared state. Akira instructed the brunette to take her to her room then turned to Corrin.

"I'd love to chat with you, but the Chancellor and I must plan our strategy. Sometimes I hate being a king! If you'll excuse me."

He departed for the throne room when Eight turned to her with a simple "Follow me."

Eight led Corrin to the easternmost tower of the castle which was an empty room with a bed. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing! I'll-"

"You're Eight, right? Akira told me about you. Is it true you're a thief?" She asked him.

"That's TREASURE HUNTER!" He snapped but calmed down when he heard Corrin laugh. 

"On the surface, Akira pretends to support the Empire. The truth is, he's collaborating with the Returners, an organization opposed to the Empire. I am his contact with that group. Shulk, the guy you met in Narshe is one of us."

Bewildered, Corrin exclaimed, "Empire... but I'm a soldier of the Empire!"

"That's not true! They were using you! Things are different now."

"I don't understand... What should I do?"

Eight put his hand on Corrin's shoulder as if to assure her, "I can't tell you what to do. You don't have to decide right now. You'll soon find your way, get some rest for now."

He left the room while she stood there confused on what to do currently.

"But how will I know which way is right?" She thought aloud to herself.

With no other choice Corrin went to bed and so did Eight. Akira discussed a strategy with the chancellor then went to sleep as he thought about Corrin. The king wanted to understand if she was important to the Empire but he also wanted to help her as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh fight scenes are a pain to write good lawd.

That night, Akira woke up with a start after smelling something burning. He didn't even have time to get himself ready when the chancellor joined him in his night clothes. Still in his pajamas and with his raven black hair all ruffled, the king immediately went down the stairs and walked outside only to discover that the castle apparently was on fire and the soldiers were having a bit of a hard time keeping the fire under control.

"What's going on?!" Akira asked the guards who were running around screaming in panic like chickens with their heads cut off.

"It's the Empire! It's Grima!" They cried.

Just then, Grima walked in the castle's courtyard with a maniacal grin on her face as Akira looked at the mage with sheer annoyance on his.

"What are you're doing?!" He snapped at her.

"Bring me the girl, now!" She countered with a demand of her own.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Then welcome to my barbecue!" Grima sneered then laughed evilly in his face.

Not having much of a choice, Akira walked back to the castle's front door and told the guard to get the others ready who did as instructed then went inside.

Grima looked at the king inquisitively but the smile never left her face. "Changed your mind, hm?"

"I guess I have no choice..." the ravenette muttered as he climbed up one of the nearby towers. A smirk made itself known on his face as he whistled and three chocobos showed up before jumping and landing on one of them. "Or maybe I do!"

The court mage simply chuckled in amusement, "Oh, dear me. Shameful that a king should flee, leaving his people behind. How utterly delightful!"

Too bad she didn't realize that Corrin and Eight were positioned on one of the bridges.

"Jump!" Akira yelled as both Corrin and Eight jumped off the bridge and landed on the other chocobos at his signal.

He then commanded the soldiers to submerge the castle in the sand to extinguish the flames.

"Figaro Submerge Mode Engaged!" One soldier said as the entire castle began moving and all the other soldiers retreated inside.

"No one can touch the people of Figaro!" The chancellor declared then left before it disappeared in the sand entirely.

Grima, having escaped before she was trapped in the desert got up and dusted herself off then growled in anger at the treatment she received. She was going to make sure that Akira and his rotten little friends pay for their insolence and what better way than to send two Magitek Armored soldiers after them to paint the desert sands red with their blood.

"Go! GET THEM!" The mage commanded.

"Magitek Armor! Watch out!" Akira cried before equipping his sword.

Eight drew his own blade, ''We can't escape unless we take them out!''

A Magitek Laser hit the ravenette dead-on and Eight barely managed to avoid a metal kick from their legs. They didn't know that something unexpected was about to happen soon. Akira struck one of the two Magitek Armors twice with his sword, but both he and the bandana wearing adventurer noticed that Corrin stood stock-still.

"Run, Corrin!" They shouted at her to move however the girl didn't react. She was charging up magical energy to cast a spell, chanting an incantation until she released it.

"WATER!"

A jet of water shot out of her hands and flew towards one of the Magitek Armors, causing it to short circuit and explode with a loud bang. Akira, in a very shocked state gasped at what he saw which made Eight look at him.

"What's the matter, Akira? What was it that made you jump like that?"

"Did you s-s-see what I saw? You did, right? Right?!" The king stammered.

"Yeah, this kid's really something, huh?" The treasure hunter replied.

"Really... something!? That was magic, Eight! MA-GIC!" He yelled, voice laced with emotion.

Eight was just as shocked as Akira, surprise making itself known on his face as well. "M-M-M-M-MAGIC!? She used magic!?"

He and the ravenhaired king started whispering to each other while Corrin was very embarrassed at what she did. She didn't mean to draw that much attention to herself just from casting magic right in front of them.

"Corrin, what... what exactly was that just now?'' Edgar asked curiously.

The girl felt ashamed with her head hung low then her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, I..."

Eight pushed Akira a little ways away, nearly knocking him into the sand. "No, we should be apologizing. I didn't mean to make such a big deal out of it."

"Nor did I... it just surprised me, I've never seen magic before," the king added. "Where did you learn that?"

Unfortunately she didn't give him answer to his question.

Eight cut him short, "Akira, Corrin can use magic, and we can't. That's the only difference between us. The fact is... we could use her help!"

"Thank you, Eight! Thank you, Akira!" Corrin happily exclaimed then winked at both Eight and Akira, who nearly fainted at that. Now they knew why she was so famous, and now they had a powerful ally on their side who could use magic.

"You know, Corrin, as you saw from the castle Figaro is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and it's all thanks to Akira. The guy's a very experienced engineer and in his spare time he creates special tools that he also uses in combat. Look."

The treasure hunter pointed out as Akira took what looked like a normal crossbow to use as a weapon. Just as he opened fire, several bolts shot from the crossbow and hit the remaining Magitek Armor. Using a Fire spell this time, the blue caped silverette destroyed the other Magitek Armor with a fireball instead. The three of them climbed back onto their chocobos and sped off into the distance.

''Bravo, Figaro!'' Akira cheered.

Eight gave off a shit eating grin then waved at Grima. And speak of the devil, she was absolutely furious! If looks could kill there would be six bodies laid out in the desert by her blood red glare alone. The siege was a failure, Akira helped Corrin escape, thus breaking his ''alliance'' with the Empire. All in all, it was a bust.

''Son of a sandworm! You'll pay for this!'' She spat angrily as her plan had failed.

* * *

Eight giggled as they continued crossing the desert, "This is great!"

"Was that a bad person? I... I'm scared..." Corrin muttered, now somewhat afraid and uncomfortable. She was lucky and a bit grateful that Akira and Eight had brought her someplace safe away from Grima and the Empire.

"Corrin, there's someone I'd like you to meet! Eight and I are members of the Returners. Our mentor, Bayonetta, would certainly like to meet you. Magic is going to be the key to winning this war," Akira explained.

"Magic..."

"Corrin has magical powers." Eight added in. "That Esper seemed to react to her. Can there be some connection?"

"I haven't the foggiest! It just seems natural to me that I have the use of this power," Corrin replied.

"But no HUMAN is born with the powers you seem to have, and..." The king said which took Corrin aback and she quickly pulled the reins on her chocobo, causing it to stop. "I apologize."

"What should I do?" She asked with uncertainty laced in her voice.

It took Akira some time to think about it but came up with an answer. To be honest it was a good question so to speak.

"I'm sure the Empire is going to come after you. If they get their hands on you again, the world's finished. Corrin, you want to understand your own powers, right?" Corrin nodded before Akira spoke again. "Then I think we need to consult with Bayonetta. There's a chance she might help you understand your powers better."

Even when Eight asked as well Corrin made no reply, but Akira seems to think that was good enough for now and started ahead.

"OK! To the south there's a cave that leads to South Figaro. We'll go east to reach Mount Kolts, and from there, we will pass through the Sabil Mountains to the north. That's where the Returners Hideout is located. We are in the middle of the night though, so let's get some rest before going in there.''

The group left the desert behind then reached the cave, where a Figaroan soldier on a chocobo stood guard at the entrance. "King Akira! Where are you headed at this time of night?"

"Through the cave, and eastward to South Figaro," the king replied. "Return to the castle, and tell the others we're safe. We can't go on with our chocobos so take them with you on your way back."

"Yes, Sir! Take care!" The soldier said then called the other three chocobos and led them away from his post.

In the meantime, Corrin, Eight and Akira set up a tent and fell asleep for the night. In the morning they would prepare the trek through Figaro Cave and pick up some supplies and new equipment from South Figaro. It was all thanks to Akira that Corrin was safe from Imperial hands and now she was traveling with the men through the cave. According to the ravenette the cave was small but mostly dark due to the dimly lit torches hanging on the walls, so the only female focused her fire spell into a makeshift torch to light their way through the darkness which excited Eight a little.

They had some trouble with some of the cave's local wildlife but it wasn't enough to slow them down. Akira did get poisoned by one of the creatures dwelling here and was later cured by the silverette's newly acquired Poisona spell. She also healed any injuries they sustained with Cure magic as well. The brunette then explained to her that magic came in two types that were black and white which consisted of buffs, debuffs, healing and offensive spells. Corrin was confused at first but then she started to understand what he said.

It didn't take long for them to leave the cave and march onward to the town of South Figaro. Once there the trio immediately stocked up on provisions, bought new equipment then walked around town to get situated with the city's layout since it was quite big. They walked inside the pub for some food where they heard all sorts of information.

A woman was worried that the Empire was conquering one city after another and doubted that the people in South Figaro would be safe here. Akira was surprised when an old man reminded him of a disciple training under Duncan Harcourt, a renowned martial arts master living in South Figaro which made both Corrin and Eight wonder if it meant anything. They heard other things about Duncan who had also trained his son Vargas. He saw all of his disciples, including himself, as equals although he was irritated by the fact that his son was not making progress in his lessons, going far as to complain about it to some people. Across the tavern there was a man dressed in gray and black with a bandana tied above his icy blue eyes drinking beer with his dog.

Corrin thought the dog was cute at first until it turned around and growled at her, startling the silverette. his owner then turned and warned her that the dog doesn't like people and she refrained from petting him.

Eight tried talking to the gray clothed man until Akira pushed him back, "Stand back, Eight! He seems vaguely familiar... Wait a minute...! Snake... An assassin capable of killing even his best friend for a price."

"Better steer clear of him, I guess," the adventurer muttered before they decided to leave Snake alone and left the pub.

After leaving the town, the trio found a cabin to the north near the woods. As soon as they entered the building, a peculiar smell caught ahold of Akira's nose and he had a familiar sensation when he smelled some blue flowers sitting by the cabin's entrance.

 _'These flowers were his favorites,'_ he thought.

The ravenette was referring to the same person when he smelled tea and saw particular set of dishes in the cupboard, saying it was his favorite tea and that he always used those dishes.

"Richter... he was... here?!" He said quietly to himself.

When the group walked outside they saw an old man standing near the house's well when the king approached him with a picture, "Excuse me, sir but do you know this guy?"

"Of course. He left a couple of days ago after he heard Master Duncan was slain. He headed into the mountains. I heard Duncan's son, Vargas, is missing as well. I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Thank you. We'll go investigate," Akira nodded before turning away. "He must have gone to pay his respects to his mentor, Duncan..."

And with that information tucked safely away in the recesses of their minds Corrin, Akira and Eight went back inside to rest before departing for Mount Kolts.

* * *

Recalling the old man's info Corrin, Akira and Eight climbed Mount Kolts which a had somewhat complex system of caves and cliffs connected by numerous bridges. The three were attacked by two Zaghrems, masked mountain bandits disguised as monks who tried to punch them and Eight suffered from it after being surrounded.

"Cover your ears, you two," Akira said as pulled out another one of his tools that looked like a large trumpet.

Corrin and Eight covered their ears as a deafening noise rang throughout the mountain, confusing the bandits who began killing each other in their confusion. Taking advantage of their distracted state, the brunette and silverette easily defeated the bandits. But they were not alone as someone was watching the trio from the shadows, putting Corrin on edge. She lifted her head to see a shadowlike figure for a split second before it quickly disappeared.

"Did you see that?"

"Barely," Eight replied as they crossed a bridge to a nearby cliff. "I couldn't see it well."

The trio also had to deal with Tuskers, and monsters that favored both poison and petrification but Fire spells and crossbow bolts were enough to destroy them. Back outside, they caught a glimpse of that shadow figure again.

"There it is again!" Akira gasped.

"So close... I saw it, but it wasn't clear." Corrin remarked.

The steepness of the mountains was making Corrin tired, but the King of Figaro reassured the silverette by telling her that it wouldn't be long before they reached the Returner HQ so she could rest. Shortly after exiting another cave, they came across a menacing-looking, shirtless muscular man presumed to be Vargas with disheveled bluish-gray hair tied in a ponytail behind his head and wearing blue pants with red and yellow sashes tied around his waist.

"Richter sent you, right?" Vargas asked group.

"Richter? Is he here?"

It's been a while since Akira saw his brother, so he had every right to be concerned about Richter's whereabouts. But despite the clues he got, the ravenette still couldn't confirm if it was him or not.

"Who're YOU?" Eight demanded. "You were shadowing us earlier, right?"

Vargas just laughed arrogantly in their faces which not only annoyed Corrin but angered her as well. "And how unlucky it is that you have run into me!"

Vargas didn't fight them alone as he had sent out two bears that he personally trained called Ipoohs.

"We have to get rid of those bears first if we want a shot at him!" Akira gripped his crossbow as the others drew their weapons.

Corrin attacked the bears with her sword then blocked a claw swipe aimed right for her face. Unfortunately her back was exposed to the Ipooh behind her and it brutally slashed her arm. The silverette bit back a scream as blood dripped down her arm but the wound wasn't too bad. With a little difficulty, she stood up and prepared to cast a Cure spell to heal the wound until it closed up completely and only the blood remained.

Eight dodged the first bear's strike and then hit it in the neck with his sword, weakening it and the bear fell to the ground. The adventurer wasted no time taking the opportunity to slit its throat, while Akira stopped the other with his sword then hit it with a horizontal slash. He took out a third tool from his pockets, a bio blaster that shot out a poisonous cloud that not only immobilized Vargas, but damaged him while killing the remaining Ipooh as well. The king made sure to put on a gas mask to avoid inhaling the toxic fumes or or else he'd be sorry. The monk shook off his temporary paralysis before attacking again.

"Gale Cut!"

A strong wind knocked the trio off their feet and heavily wore them down, causing the three to fall to the ground which opened them up to a series of kicks and punches.

"Come on! What's the matter?" The bluenette taunted as they struggled to get up on their feet.

The man showed off his power in a boastful display and he was proud of it. Eventually he got bored of fighting with Corrin, Eight and Akira and decided to end them here and now.

"Enough of this! I'll send you to the great beyond!!"

He was about to charge at his enemies but before Vargas could hit Corrin and the others...

"That's enough, Vargas!'' A voice shouted from out of nowhere.

The mysterious savior landed gracefully in front of the group who looked up to see someone had come to their rescue. He was a very tall and muscular man with brown hair and blue eyes with a white bandana tied around his head. He also wore a black shirt under a blue sleeveless tunic, white pants and brown boots. There appeared to be bandages around his left wrist and his right hand was covered with a brown fingerless glove.

"Is that you, Richter?!" Vargas was shocked to see that it was Richter who attacked him, surprising the others as well.

Was it really Akira's older brother, Prince Richter, standing here right there in front of them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh no a cliffhanger!" Yeah I know I ended the chapter just when it was getting good. Don't worry, don't worry I'm still working this even though I'm starting to have some doubts on whether or not I should keep going with this or just can this story due to rpgs being a cripple point. I'll figure something out I guess.

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh I had to improvise as I went in writing this and it's still hard to find characters who fit the roles for this story.


End file.
